BUTTERFLY DESIGN
The idea of the butterfly was brought to our attention by the
Late Margaret Hewer. The butterfly represents the messenger
of the departed souls. It is also said to be a symbol of the traveling
Spirits, those departed and misplaced that are wandering about.
The design was created by the Late Brad Collinson and adopted
by our committee as our logo.

STOLEN SPIRITS OF HAIDA GWAIIToronto filmmaker Kevin McMahon and his film crew accompanied the Haida delegation on a repatriation trip to Chicago in 2003. His film reveals the whole repatriation process through the stories and experiences of the people who participated, both Museum staff and the Haida people.

His film Stolen Spirits of Haida Gwaii won two Geminis in 2005, one for Best Direction in a Documentary Program and the second
for Best History Documentary Program. Stolen Spirits has also won the Grand Prix Rigoberta Menchu at the Montreal First People’s Festival has been shown at film festivals and most recently, the 2005 Gold Ribbon Award for Aboriginal Programming (Canadian Association of Broadcasters).

Nika, Tanya and Vince Collison and 23 other Haida delegates travel 3,000 miles to New York City to reclaim their ancestors' remains from the American Museum of Natural History. As part of their pilgrimage, they are invited by the Smithsonian to view and handle precious Haida artifacts housed at the National Museum of the American Indian and have the opportunity to use these pieces in ceremonial dance. Their journey culminates with the return to Skidegate and burial of the centuries-old remains.

Nika and Vince Collison, Haida repatriation committee members,
visit the British Museum in London to open a discussion on repatriating Haida artifacts. This vast historical museum, sticking to their mandate of delivering a "global story to an international audience," does not warm to the topic. Representatives point to the 1963 British Museum Act that prohibits the removal of artifacts from their collection. Although gracious, they are cautious even about letting the Haida visitors touch and photograph pieces. For Nika and Vince, it's all part of a process that has taught them to exercise patience
and diplomacy.

Many Haida cultural treasures currently housed in museums around
the world were looted from old and vacated Haida village sites. In their zeal, early explorers to Haida Gwaii took away grave goods and human remains, a questionable academic practice that continues to perplex aboriginal people. Today the Haida have begun the process
of repatriation and the first to return are the ancestors themselves. Although they've encountered resistance, negotiators have brokered arrangements with local and Canadian museums, the first of these with the national museum in Ottawa. In Yahgu dang ang: "To Pay Respect", the Haida prepare to rebury the remains of seven of their ancestors in Skidegate, British Columbia with a traditional burning of food. Two key individuals in Haida repatriation efforts are featured.